THE PROPNET PROGRAM

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THE PROPNET PROGRAM
PRESENTATION TO THE EL CAJON AMATEUR RADIO CLUB
SEPTEMBER 14, 2006
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WHAT IS PROPNET?

• PropNET is an ad-hoc wireless network of digital
  Amateur Radio enthusiasts that provides a
  mechanism for real-time propagation discovery and
  keyboard-to-keyboard messaging with an Internet
  component that displays worldwide data on demand!

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PROPNET PROGRAM

• INTRODUCED IN 1998 BY EV TUPIS, W2EV AT THE
  TAPR/ARRL CONFAB
• PROMOTED IN QST MAY 2001
• IN CONTINUOUS OPERATION SINCE ITS ORIGINATION

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WHY IS PROPNET DIFFERENT FROM OTHER BEACON
PROGRAMS?

• OTHER BEACONS (CW AND FM) ARE PRIMARILY FOR
  PROPAGATION TRACKING AND ESTABLISHING CONTACT
• PROPNET ABLY SUPPORTS THOSE FUNCTIONS BUT ADDS
  THE THE OPTION FOR SCIENTIFIC OBSERVATION DUE TO
  ITS ?ALWAYS ON, ALWAYS WATCHING, ALWAYS ARCHIVING
  AND CHARTING? FEATURES

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ACTIVE STATION

• TRANSMITS IDENTIFICATION, LOCATION, POWER AND
  ANTENNA INFORMATION 8 TIMES PER HOUR
• CONTINOUSLY RECEIVES OTHER PARTICIPANTS
  TRANSMISSIONS, LOGS AND REPORTS THEM TO CENTRAL
  DATA BANK VIA INTERNET

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TYPICAL ACTIVE STATION

• MOST STATIONS USING LESS THAN 15 WATTS
• PSK31 MODE
• MOST STATIONS USING SIMPLE VERTICAL ANTENNAS

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PROPNET FEATURES

• PROGRAM HAS BEEN ACTIVE FOR OVER 8 YEARS
• OPERATES WITH RELIABLE, EASY TO SETUP SOFTWARE
• PRIMARY FOCUS IS ON 10 AND 6 METERS

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PROPNET FEATURES

• HOWEVER ACTIVITY ALSO AT TIMES ON 20, 17, 15 AND
  2 METERS FOR PROJECTS OF SPECIAL INTEREST
• BOTH CRC (CYCLICAL REDUNDANCY CHECK) AND PARTIAL
  CAPTURES ARE RECORDED EACH DAY
• STATIONS ACTIVE ACROSS THE U.S. AND CANADA WITH
  ?LURKERS? IN EUROPE, AUSTRALIA AND SOUTH AMERICA
  AT VARIOUS TIMES

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REPORTING AND ARCHIVING

• CONTINUOUS, REAL TIME REPORTING VIA LIVEX AND
  FINDU
• AUTOMATIC END OF DAY SUMMARY SENT TO INTERNET VIA
  PROPNET CATCHES REPORTS

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TYPICAL MID AFTERNOON PROPNET MAP 10 METERS
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RECORDED DATA ACCOMPANIES MAP
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END OF DAY PROPNETSTATION CATCH REPORT
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NEAT FEATURE

• FINDU OPTION DISPLAYS FORMATION OF PROPAGATION
  PATHS HOUR TO HOUR OVER 24 HOUR PERIOD
• THIS GIVES INSIGHT INTO THE TYPE OF PROPAGATION
  INVOLVED AND IS PREDICTIVE OF THE NEXT DAY?S
  OPPORTUNITIES

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TO PARTICIPATE

• NEED A LOW POWER RIG (10 METERS OR 6 METERS)
  WHICH YOU ARE WILLING TO DEDICATE TO THE PROGRAM
• NEED THE USUAL PSK31 HOOKUP TO A COMPUTER (OLD
  IRON WORKS FINE)

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TO PARTICIPATE

• DOWNLOAD PROPNET SOFTWARE FROM N7YG HOME PAGE
• FILL OUT SIMPLE SETUP SCREENS
• JOIN PROPNET YAHOO GROUP

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PROPNET PROJECTS

• PROPNET IS NOT JUST AN ?IS THE BAND OPEN??
  PROGRAM
• THE GROUP ACCUMULATES DATA FOR SPECIAL PROJECTS
• RESULTS HAVE BEEN PRESENTED AT THE TAPR/ARRL
  CONFERENCES

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AS EXAMPLESUNSPOT CYCLE PROJECT

• GROUP IS ACCUMULATING A RECORD OF
  ?TRANSCONTINENTAL? PROPAGATION ON 10 METERS
  DURING THE CURRENT BOTTOM OF THE SUNSPOT CYCLE -
  TO COMPARE WITH OTHER PERIODS IN CYCLE

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SUNSPOT CYCLE PROJECT

• CONTRARY TO CONVENTIONAL WISDOM, COMMUNICATIONS
  OVER 500 MILE TO 2000 MILE PATHS ON 10 METERS
  REMAIN SURPRISINGLY COMMON AS WE PASS THROUGH THE
  BOTTOM OF THE CURRENT CYCLE

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W3NRG REPORTED BY PROPNET STATIONS

• DAYS W3NRG REPORTED BY PROPNET STATIONS ? CRC
  CONFIRMED

DATA NOT AVAILABLE FOR 2005
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KA5DWI SUMMER 2006
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KA5DWI SUMMER 2005
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VALUE OF THE DATA

• BRINGS INTO SHARP CONTRAST THE DIFFERENCES
  BETWEEN F ? LAYER PROPAGATION - WHICH IS
  STRONGLY DEPENDENT UPON THE SUN SPOT CYCLE
• AND THE E ? LAYER PROPAGATION WHICH CAN OCCUR
  THROUGHOUT THAT CYCLE

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AS EXAMPLEKF6XAW3NRG PROJECT

• THROUGH THEIR PARTICIPATION IN PROPNET TWO
  ?LOCAL? STATIONS HAVE REPLICATED AN UNUSUAL
  PROPAGATON PATH FIRST IDENTIFIED BY THE NAVY
  DURING WORLD WAR II

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AS EXAMPLEKF6XAW3NRG PROJECT

• DATA COLLECTION BEGAN IN 2001
• USING PSK31 MODE ON 28.131 MH
• KF6XA IS LOCATED IN MURRIETA, CA
• W3NRG IS LOCATED IN CORONADO, CA

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KF6XAW3NRG PROJECT

• DISTANCE BETWEEN STATIONS 63 MI
• KF6XA AT 1400 FT ASL
• W3NRG AT SEA LEVEL
• USED BOTH UI-VIEW AND N7YG DECODING SOFTWARE

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KF6XAW3NRG PROJECT

• BOTH STATIONS USE RADIO SHACK HTX-10 TRANSCEIVERS
  AT
• BOTH STATIONS USE VERTICAL LOW GAIN ANTENNAS
• BOTH STATIONS TRANSMIT 8 BEACON SIGNALS PER HOUR

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THE PATH
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THE PATH TOPO PROFILE
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SO WHAT IS THE ?BIG DEAL?

• IT IS NOT UNHEARD OF TO HAVE A 10 METER CONTACT
  OVER 63 MILES
• THE INTRIGUING ASPECT OF THE KF6XAW3NRG
  EXPERIMENT IS
• CONSISTANCY

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KF6XAW3NRG PROJECT

• HUNDREDS OF THOUSANDS OF FULL AND PARTIAL PSK31
  CAPTURES WERE ARCHIVED
• CONCLUSION
• COMMUNICATIONS WERE POSSIBLE OVER THIS PATH AT
  LEAST 80 OF THE TIME OVER THE FOUR YEARS THAT
  DATA WAS COLLECTED

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VERIFICATION OF WWII NAVY STUDIES

• AFTER WE FIRST REPORTED THE PATH IN QST, JUNE
  2002, BOB GONSET, W6VR BROUGHT TO OUR ATTENTION A
  STUDY BY NAVY RESEARCHERS DURING WWII
• THEY FOUND THE SAME ANOMOLY OVER APPROXIMATELY
  THE SAME PATH!!

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SUGGESTED MODEL

• THE AUTHOR CAUTIONS THAT HE IS BY NO MEANS A
  RADIO PROPAGATION EXPERT.
• THE MODEL WE USE IN TRYING TO VISUALIZE THE
  PROPAGATION WE SEE ON THE PATH WAS SUGGESTED BY
  THE WWII EXPERIMENTERS

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SUGGESTED MODEL

• THERE IS A COLD SURFACE LAYER OVER SAN DIEGO IN
  CONSEQUENCE OF THE WATERS OF THE PACIFIC
• THERE IS A WARM UPPER LAYER IN CONSEQUENCE OF THE
  HEATING OF THE SUN
• PROPAGATION RESULTS FROM REFRACTION THROUGH THAT
  BOUNDARY

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SUGGESTED MODEL
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VALUE OF THE DATA

• DATA PROVIDES VISBILITY ON THE CHARACTERISTICS OF
  THE PATH OVER THE DAILY CYCLE IN VARIOUS SEASONS
  OF THE YEAR
• PATH IS PROBABLY A VERY SPECIAL CASE OF
  ?TROPOSPHERIC REFRACTION?

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IN SUMMARY

• THE PROPNET PROGRAM HAS INTRODUCED A NUMBER OF
  HAMS TO THE PSK31 DIGITAL MODES
• THE PROGRAM OFFERS ?NEAT? VISUAL REPORTS ON
  PROPAGATION CONDITIONS
• THE DATA IS ARCHIVED FOR FUTURE RESEARCH

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IN SUMMARY

• PARTICIPATION IN THE PROGRAM HAS RESULTED IN NEW
  FRIENDS AND CONTACTS
• THE OPPORTUNITY FOR ?SCIENTIFIC? OBSERVATIONS
  FROM THE DATA GROWS AS THE ARCHIVE GROWS HOUR BY
  HOUR, DAY BY DAY AND YEAR BY YEAR

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IN SUMMARY

• THE PROPNET COMBINATION OF THE COMPUTER, THE
  INTERNET AND QRP RF, ALONG WITH A CURIOSITY ABOUT
  PROPAGATION TENDS TO APPEAL TO HAMS WHO LIKE TO
  UTILIZE THE HOBBY FOR MORE THAN JUST THE ORDINARY
  COMMUNICATIONS ACTIVITIES

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HOW MIGHT THE EL CAJON CLUB HELP

• PROPNET NEEDS ONE OR TWO WELL LOCATED 6 METER
  STATIONS IN THE SOUTHWEST
• A STRONG SOUTHWEST 6 METER ?ANCHOR? WOULD BE VERY
  WELCOME FOR MID WEST AND EAST COAST PROPAGATION
  REPORTING